1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to highly sensitive accelerometers. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to optical accelerometers for applications such as integration into ocean bottom seismic cables.
2. Description of the Related Art
Marine seismic exploration surveys for the exploration and monitoring of hydrocarbon producing zones and reservoirs utilize seismic cables deployed on the ocean floor. The cable includes an array of accelerometers capable of detecting ground acceleration on the ocean floor produced by acoustic vibrations.
One common type of accelerometer includes a mass-spring transducer housed in a sensor case. The sensor case couples to a moving body, the ocean floor, whose motion is inferred from the relative motion between the mass and the sensor case. Such accelerometers relate the relative displacement of the mass with the acceleration of the case, and therefore the ocean floor. Obtaining an ocean bottom seismic (OBS) survey requires placing the seismic cables along the ocean floor, generating seismic waves that travel downward through the earth and reflect off of underground deposits or changes in formation, and recording the reflected seismic waves detected by the accelerometers. Thus, the sensitivity of the accelerometer directly affects the quality of the data acquired by the OBS survey making many prior accelerometers designs unacceptable due to insufficient sensitivity.
Several problems exist with using conventional electrical accelerometers in cable arrays in the ocean. In particular, electrical accelerometers require an insulated electrical conductor for transmitting electrical signals, which can short if the electrical conductor becomes damaged and is exposed to sea water. Further, most high performance piezoelectric accelerometers require power at the sensor head which may be difficult to provide due to the substantial cable length. Also, multiplexing of a large number of such sensors is not only cumbersome but tends to occur at a significant increase in weight and volume of an accelerometer array, as well as a decrease in reliability. Additionally, piezoelectric accelerometers tend to operate poorly at the lowest frequencies in the seismic band.
Many systems and methods for OBS surveying do not retrieve the cable arrays for redeployment and reuse. During a single OBS survey, cable arrays with several thousand accelerometers may be utilized. The large quantity of accelerometers required along with the practice of abandoning the deployed cable arrays after one use makes the cost of the accelerometers very critical. Prior designs of both optical and electrical accelerometers often require a complicated assembly procedure and a large number of specially made parts, thereby increasing the cost to manufacture the accelerometers.
Therefore, there exists a need for an inexpensive optical accelerometer with increased sensitivity for applications such as integration into OBS cable arrays.